Text Message Marketing: How to Avoid Common Mistakes

• In SMS Marketing
• October 3, 2017

Introduction

Most people’s phones are their companions: always nearby and taken everywhere. This creates an ideal platform for text message marketing. If handled well, SMS marketing can engage new customers, create a better relationship with your brand, provide succinct customer support and even conduct surveys to learn more about your customer and their habits.

But there are pitfalls to watch out for. A few tips can guide the way to better marketing while keeping your brand respectable in the eyes of Canadian and US customers.

Text Message Etiquette

You’ll want to avoid a pinging phone. It’s annoying even when the messages are from family and friends. As a company, the last thing you want to incite in your customer is irritation with your marketing.

There’s a fine line between too many texts and not enough. Well-timed, regular messages can keep you relevant in your customer’s mind and ensure that they don’t forget about you. You’ll also want to keep messages between a reasonable timeframe, such as during the day and never at night, to avoid losing customers.

As with other forms of direct, personal marketing, you’ll need consent. So make sure your customer is opted-in to getting text messages from you before you start your campaign with them.

Confusing Call-To-Action

There’s not a lot of room for a long pitch in a text message, and that could be a benefit for you and your customer. Streamlining your call-to-action doesn’t put a demand on your customer’s attention and clever marketing can spark interest.

Clearly articulating these points gives your campaign a chance:

• The ad: what’s it about?
• The audience: what do they need to do? (e.g. text HELLO to 6479499954)
• The action: if there are other steps, what are they?
• The reward: what’s your customers’ incentive?

Violating Spam Regulation Rules

Instead of looking at CASL Compliance Rules as a hurdle to overcome, focus on the benefits to help tighten up your campaign and make sure it reaches customers who will want to take action. You’ll target a smaller number of customers, but you’ll be building an appreciation and trust for your brand.

A few helpful tips can make sure you’re not violating CASL rules:

• Make sure customers have opted-in: it’ll require effort and new approaches to gather leads, but these leads will want to receive your message and since they trust your brand, they will likely open and act on your text
• Make sure information is collected according to spam rules: all information collected should be freely given with the knowledge and consent of the customer
• Send a mandatory text with your message: customers should be able to text STOP to stop receiving messages from the company, as well as easily find information on data and messaging rates, contact information and the privacy policy
• Keep reliable, thorough records of opt-ins: in the case of complaints, you’ll need an accurate record that includes the customer’s name, opt-in date and communication history for every person registered in your list

With textLab^TM SMS Marketing Software you can create engaging and interactive mobile marketing campaigns to quickly engage customers who like to text. Let our experts bring your business to the next level. Contact your Toronto SMS Marketing experts today for your next project.

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